Our century-old house has been in need of a fresh paint job and the task of dealing with the layers of lead-based paint was admittedly intimidating. There are a few key steps to keep lead out of our waterways, soil, air, and homes when working outside. I’m here to share exactly what to do (and not do!) when prepping a house for a quality paint job while taking the greatest cautions with lead.
Read MoreWhen we opened up the walls during our remodel, I knew I had to leave a time capsule behind the drywall. Plus, 2020 is quite a year to immortalize in the walls. Here's what I hid away to be found years and years from now!
Read MoreI came across a charming book written in 1914 all about how to plan an efficient kitchen. How perfect of a fit for me is that?!? Efficient! Kitchen! 1914! The book has certainly inspired my renovation and I’ve incorporated some of the tips and tricks into my current design. From organizing to lighting, and cooking to materials, it’s got guidelines on all of it. Admittedly, some of the lessons are comical and antiquated, but that’s the fun of it! Beyond kitchen designing, though, this book aims to make our homes thoughtful spaces that are free of waste, that value women’s time, and are utilitarian spaces rather than storage units. It’s pretty forward-thinking for a 100-year-old book!
Read MorePodcast time! Now live is part II of my episodes on the podcast True Tales From Old Houses! During part II, Stacy and I are talking all about how and why my home received historic designation, the amount of money I don’t pay on my property taxes anymore, gentrification and issues with Mills Act, city permitting challenges, neighbor disputes, and what I’m allowed to do and what I have to do to my historic home.
Read MoreOne of the most thrilling parts of demolition is finding evidence of yesteryear! So often remnants of the previous renovations are left in the walls, or old mechanical systems are uncovered, or things mysteriously end up in weird places. Wanna see what we found during demolition?
Read MoreWe FINALLY have a construction permit to do our kitchen renovation. FIN.AL.LY. Whew. It’s taken awhile to get here for a number of reasons that I’ll share here. I’ll break down the steps we took, the costs we’ve incurred, and some of the story behind everything.
Read MoreI shared awhile back that our home was designated historic - yay! I already went into the nitty gritty of how we got our home designated, what it means to be designated, what Mills Act is, and the pros and cons of how it affected our home in this blog post. Give that one a read first or you’ll have no idea what I’m talking about here.
So, I’m here to update you on where we’re at in that process and also share some nitty gritty finances with you. If you’re thinking about applying for Mills Act, this post is for you. If you like snooping on other people’s finances, this post is also for you.
Read MoreOur house is a 1915 craftsman bungalow in a charming old neighborhood of San Diego. While the house is special in our eyes, we’ve been going through the process of making it even more special with historic designation. It gives us cool street cred, plus with an extra step, we get a discount on our property taxes. There’s a lot of wins, but also a few hurdles to jump over, so I wanna share where we’re at in the process, how to apply yourself, and what this all means for the future of our home.
Read MoreAshley has been restoring her craftsman bungalow since early 2015. The Gold Hive chronicles the journey of DIYs, restorations, renovations, and stories.
I'm Ashley, a type-A homebody fixing up my historic home at a snail’s pace in California. I share home improvement DIYs, tips for sustainable living, and renovation stories - all while aiming to add more color and present real, lived-in spaces.
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Margot is getting an upgraded room to make space for baby sister in the nursery.
With an additional family member, we want to shuffle the rooms of our 3-bedroom house around. The one off the living room was being used as my home office, so now it’s time to convert it into an actual bedroom. The initial thought was to give this room to baby sister and keep Margot in her room. But we ultimately decided to put the baby in the room designed to be a nursery, then convert the home office into a space designed for a bigger kid. Plus, the office has more windows, and is right off the living room (Margot’s playroom) so it’s better suited for all the daytime play, whereas the single-window nursery is cozier for lots of daytime naps.